1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of cloth or fabric handling tools and is more particularly concerned with tools for everting tubes of cloth or fabric material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is often required in applications utilizing fabric or cloth, such as the clothing industry or other industries which manufacture covering materials, to assemble various pieces of material in final form with the inside turned outwardly. Long, thin pieces of cloth that have been sewn wrong side out are commonly called tubes. After these tubes are reversed, they are used as belts or ties, as parts of wearing apparel, and particularly dresses, shirts or blouses. By everting them, all seams between adjacent pieces are hidden from view when the finished item is everted to place the correct side or finished surface on the outside.
While there are both manual and automated tools available for everting fabric tubes or tubing, their use is often difficult and frustrating to the operator. Heretofore it has been difficult to evert long tubes of flexible material, particularly where the diameter of the tube was small. It has been noted that the problem is significant in the manufacturing of piping such as that found along the seams of upholstery and in other areas including the manufacture of fabric covered belts or decorative, stuffed lacing. A significant shortcoming in utilizing prior art devices is that it is necessary to insert the device into the interior of the fabric tube and make a mechanical connection to the fabric from inside the tube, and often at the closed end thereof. Since the operator is unable to see what is being done, the operation must be accomplished by a sense of touch, which is difficult and time-consuming. Furthermore, the quality of the finished product may be compromised as the result of the device poking too many holes in the material while attempting to make a satisfactory attachment, since the operator cannot observe the critical aspect of this manipulation.
The problem of everting cloth tubes is not new and a number of prior art devices are known. The most common of these is the bodkin which is defined as a large blunt needle, long hair pin, or pointed tool for making holes. Other devices have been patented such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,156,339; 2,626,090; and 3,643,840 which disclose several examples of devices which facilitate the reversal of cloth tubes. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,156,339, the fabric to be everted is pierced by a hook projecting from one end of a cylindrical member. Once engaged by the hook, the tube can be everted by sliding the tube off the end of the cylindrical member where the end of the fabric tube is hooked. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,626,090, the fabric tube is clamped between a pair of grips at the end of a cylindrical member while the fabric tube is slid off the cylindrical member as in patent '339. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,840, the cloth tube is arranged around the outer diameter of a cylindrical member and fabric engagement means pulls the cloth tube partially into the cylindrical tool. The cloth tube is reversed by pulling it off of the tool. In each of these prior art devices, the everting tool connecting means is arranged within the cloth tube, thereby hiding from sight the step of fabric attachment. Furthermore, utilization of the prior art tools to evert cloth tubes is made increasingly difficult as the diameter of the cloth tubes is made smaller, or the fabric selected is of a harder or less flexible material.